Asking Alexandria
by Hatter of Madness
Summary: When faced with choosing between the Quidditch team and writing for the newsletter, The Hogwarts Herald, it's an easy choice for Ginny. Unfortunately, it also means working with her least favorite person: Malfoy. Rated T. Extremely AU, set during DH.
1. The Hogwarts Herald

**~*~Asking Alexandria~*~  
>by Hatter of Madness<strong>

* * *

><p>Potions class could not go fast enough. Slughorn, it seemed, had the ability to drone on forever about the silliest topics. Ginny sat watching him, chin in hand, with one eye on the clock. The sooner this class was over, the better.<p>

Finally, the class ended, and before Slughorn had a chance to stop her, Ginny packed up her things and practically sprinted out of class next to her dorm mate, Azalee Parkes. It was lunchtime for the students of Hogwarts, and Ginny was not planning on skipping a meal, especially with Quidditch season. She had always been a small girl, but maybe that year she could get a bit of muscle to become a better Beater for the Gryffindor team.

"What's the matter, need to see your boyfriend?" Azalee teased, in reference to Harry Potter.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "No. Need to see my lunch."

Azalee laughed. "Yes, of course, silly me."

They sat down in the Great Hall and, to Ginny's great surprise, were interrupted by none other than Draco Malfoy. "Buzz off, Malfoy," she said over her shoulder when she saw him. If she offended him in any way, he didn't show it and continued to stand there. She finally turned around to face him and said, "_What?_"

"It might interest you to know, Weaselette, that Professor McGonagall is looking for you," he said.

She stared at him, not understanding what he was getting at. "Oh? And if _McGonagall_ is looking for me, then why have _you _been so kind as to pass on the message? Shouldn't that be McGonagall's job?"

"Well, Weaselette, it might interest you to know that on Tuesdays I have Transfiguration before lunch, and, well, what do you know? It's Tuesday, isn't it?" He was speaking to her as though she was only three years old.

"Good," she said, though she really didn't care, "but I have her class later today." She wasn't quite sure she believed him, and, unless McGonagall actually _did_ speak to her later, was going to regard him with a grain of salt. "So unless it's..."

"Oh, it's _urgent,_" Malfoy said, then promptly walked off.

Ginny rolled his eyes. "He's a nutter, no doubt," she told Azalee, then went back to her soup.

After lunch, Azalee had Herbology; she had no need to take Transfiguration, as after school she wanted to be an Herbologist. Ginny considered this a very odd choice on her friend's part, but had said nothing when the issue arose.

When she arrived in Professor McGonagall's classroom, she was, oddly enough, the first one there. She was in the process of walking to her seat when the teacher said, "Miss Weasley...a word?"

_So maybe Malfoy was right,_ she thought as she walked to the teacher's desk. "Yes, Professor?"

"Miss Weasley, I have received information that you and another student were involved in a duel in the hallways?" Professor McGonagall said disapprovingly. Use of magic in the corridors was strictly prohibited, and if anyone paid close mind to the rules, it was definitely Professor McGonagall. It would especially upset her to know that one of her own Gryffindor students had broken the rules.

"What? No, I didn't!" Ginny said, shocked.

"Oh? So you did not use the Bat Bogey Hex on a fifth year Slytherin girl? Miss Greengrass, I presume?"

Now it came flooding back. She had used the hex on Astoria Greengrass while walking in the corridors just two days prior, but that wasn't to say she was in an all out _duel_ with her... Besides, it had just been self defense. Astoria had been firing hexes off left and right, and one had accidentally hit Ginny, so she retaliated. She had done it without thinking, and had hoped that no one had caught her... But then, there _was_ someone who had been observing with watchful eyes.

"Malfoy," she muttered.

"I'm afraid I will have to remove you from the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Miss Weasley."

Ginny's mouth fell open. "But Professor, I have..."

"However, there _is _another option..." Ginny immediately fell silent. "It will most likely interest you to know that Miss Greengrass has received several detentions with Professor Snape, I have made certain of that. However, Professor Snape does not influence what I do with students of my own house..." The way McGonagall said this made Ginny oddly fearful. "As I'm sure you've heard, this year it was Professor Flitwick's idea that Hogwarts have a bit of a, er...a newsletter. _The Hogwarts Herald, _I believe you've heard of it?"

Ginny had seen the newsletter in the common room one night after a long day of Quidditch practice, when she had neglected her Charms reading and instead played Exploding Snap with Harry and Ron, much to Hermione's disapproval ("We have our N.E.W.T.s at the end of the year!" she had said sharply). A girl in her first year had been reading it, and Ron had turned it into such a joke. "It's probably some old nutter who came up with that," he said. "I hate to know what sort of pricks they have writing articles..." ("_Ron!_" Hermione had interjected.)

"Now, unfortunately," McGonagall continued, "the journalist behind our advice column, _Asking Abigail,_ had a bit of an accident recently in Herbology, and will have to be in the Hospital Wing for quite some time. Therefore, it is essential that someone takes her place, but since the newsletter is entirely clandestine, it is invitation only. And with your essays in Professor Binns, Snape, and my own classes, I feel you are up to the position. Of course, a change in the name is in order, since readers will probably realize the change in writers..."

Ginny was thinking hard about this, her brain running a mile a minute as McGonagall was talking. A Herbology accident... Azalee had mentioned something going horribly, _horribly_ wrong just a day or so prior... And instantly, the name and face came to mind.

"Asking Abigail wouldn't happen to be Felicity Eastchurch, would it?" she asked. "From Ravenclaw?"

Professor McGonagall's face took on a very grim expression. "Yes, that would be her," she said. "Of course, this information has to remain clandestine, you are aware? Since this is a clandestine newsletter and everyone assumes an alias?"

_Oh, brother,_ Ginny thought, avoiding the temptation to roll her eyes. "Of course, Professor. It wasn't like I was about to run off and tell Azalee Parkes that Felicity writes in the _Hogwarts Herald..._"

"This is not a joking matter, Miss Weasley." By this point, some students had come in, so Professor McGonagall's voice dropped down to a sharp whisper. "So, will you take Miss Eastchurch's place in the advice column?"

"Absolutely not," Ginny said. There was no _way _she would be wasting her time on a newsletter, one that nobody even read.

"It's either the _Hogwarts Herald_ or no Quidditch," Professor McGonagall said.

Oh, she _knew_ that McGonagall said that just to set her off... She wasn't going to let it get to her, though. "When do I start?"

* * *

><p>Ginny looked at the slip of parchment McGonagall had given her. She had to be in the Room of Requirement at five o'clock sharp and stay for at least half an hour, just to get acquainted with the newsletter staff. Unfortunately, this meant that she had to be late to Quidditch practice, and because she couldn't tell Harry, the captain and her boyfriend, that she was working on the <em>clandestine<em> newsletter, she didn't have any excuse as to why she would be late, so she fired off the first thing that came to mind:

"I have to go to tutoring!"

Ron overheard this and stared at her skeptically. "And what is Miss Ginny failing? I don't think you've ever gotten lower than an Exceeds Expectations in your life. Finally manage a Troll?"

_Note to self: Kill Ron,_ she thought, then said quickly, "Er, I'm not the one _being_ tutored, I'm the one that's doing the _tutoring_."

"Who are you tutoring?" Harry asked. "And for what class?" It was obvious that the geers were turning in his head and that he'd be speaking to this teacher, demanding to know what they were thinking for keeping one of his star players away from practice. It wasn't even a big deal, she would only be missing half an hour anyway...

"I don't know yet," she said, just to avoid having to give off a name when she was already struggling. "And it's for Transfiguration. McGonagall only asked me because I'm _top in my class,_" she said, glaring at Ron. "I tried to tell her it was during Quidditch," she said, now looking at Harry, "but you know McGonagall. _'Education comes first'_."

Harry grinned at the near perfect impression of their Transfiguration professor, then said, "Alright, then, even _I'm_ not thick enough to go and banter with McGonagall. I'd just be fighting a losing battle." And with that, he fell back into conversation with Ron.

Ginny sighed, narrowly scraping her way through that ordeal. At four fifty-five, she made sure she had all of her Quidditch possessions safely with her, then walked to the Room of Requirement, pacing back and forth three times and thinking, _I need the bloody headquarters or whatever for the _Hogwarts Herald.

And before her appeared a gray door. She looked around, triple checking that no one was coming, and ducked into the room quickly.

_This _has _to be a mistake,_ she thought, for the first person that she saw was...

"_Malfoy?_" she said in alarm, while Malfoy grinned at the recognition.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," he said.

"What are _you _doing here?" she said.

"Working for the _Herald,_" he said, sounding bored. "What are _you_ doing here?" he asked, though since she _knew_ that he was the one that turned her into McGonagall, he knew fairly well why she was there.

She ignored him, which was good timing as at that moment, Professor McGonagall rushed over. "Oh, Miss Weasley, I was afraid you weren't coming," she said, sounding a bit out of breath. "Sorry about the wait, there was an incident with a Quick Quotes Quill over with Mr. Longbottom... Well, welcome!"

Ginny attempted to grin, but it came out looking more like a grimace. "So, what do I have to do?"

"Professor Snape and I"—Ginny surpressed a groan; of _course_ Snape was behind this—"have decided that the new name of the advice column is to be _Asking Alexandria,_ since we may no longer use _Asking Abigail_."

Ginny frowned. "Isn't that the name of a Muggle band?"

McGonagall ignored her, though her features tightened as though she was surpressing her own frown. "Now, here is a list of the staff here. I believe you should take some time to get acquainted with them."

She gave Ginny a piece of parchment. On it were twelve names, meaning that she was lucky number thirteen to join the group, then wondered if there was some sort of curse on the position, giving what happened to Felicity. _Oh, what am I thinking,_ she thought immediately after. _She's always had rotten luck._

**THE HOGWARTS HERALD  
>Developed by Filius Flitwick<strong>

_**Teaching**** Staff**_  
>Prof. Filius Flitwick, Founder<br>Prof. Minerva McGonagall, Printing  
>Prof. Severus Snape, Proofreading<p>

_**Student**** Writers**_**  
><strong>Lavender Brown, Puzzles. _Accio_  
>Colin Creevey, Student Submitted Posts. <em>Aristotle<em>  
>Neville Longbottom, Lost and Found. <em>Scamander<em>  
>Luna Lovegood, World News. <em>Rowena<em>  
>Ernie Macmillan, Advertising. <em>Whizbee<em>  
>Draco Malfoy, Quidditch and Events. <em>Salazar<em>  
>Padma Patil, Horoscopes. <em>Tarot<em>  
>Parvati Patil, Did You Know...? <em>Bathilda<em>  
>Rose Zeller, Hogwarts News. <em>Skeeter<em>

Stuck between Colin and Neville was the name Felicity Eastchurch, but it was crossed out. Ginny was surprised; she hadn't realized so many Gryffindors were writing for the newsletter. It seemed that this was McGonagall's idea of punishment. If it was, then...well, Ginny had to give her credit. It seemed like students would have a difficult time choosing between detention and writing in a newsletter. And _what_ kind of section was 'Did You Know...?', anyway?

"So, er, Professor?" Ginny asked. McGonagall looked up in alarm, having not been aware she had finished reading. But the truth was, her mind was realing with questions, too many to voice out loud. The first thing that came out of her mouth was, "How does Colin do student submitted posts, exactly?"

"He chooses what goes in," she said, as though she wanted to add 'of course' to the end.

"And what are these words after the person's position? You know, like Whizbee and Salazar?"

"They're pen names."

"Pen names?"

"It's a clandestine newsletter, Miss Weasley!"

"So I have a pen name, too, then?"

"The name of your column is Asking_ Alexandria,_ Miss Weasley, what do you assume Alexandria is? A disease?"

"And what am _I _supposed to do?" she asked.

"Well, naturally, you're supposed to give advice to the other students," McGonagall said. By this point she seemed very, very short with Ginny, as though she were about to spit fire. She led Ginny to a desk next to Malfoy before she could open her mouth again. "Now, as our Quidditch games sometimes have a long lull between, Mr. Malfoy is also in charge in sorting out the mail that we get. Anything he gets addressed to Abigail—and now, to Alexandria—he will give to you. Is this making sense, dear?"

_I'm not stupid,_ Ginny thought, but nodded, saying, "Yes, Professor."

"Good," she said. "Now if you have any questions, do not be shy about addressing them with Professor Flitwick or Snape." She noticed that McGonagall did not add herself to this list before she walked away briskly.

There was already a reasonable sized stack on Ginny's desk, and she ripped a letter open.

_Dear Abigail,_

_I think my boyfriend's snogging another girl. What do I do?_

_- Caught in the middle_

Ginny's mouth fell open._ What? _Shouldn't it have been obvious what Caught in the Middle should have done? _Go up to him, you twit!_ she thought miserably. _Why are you wasting time writing to an advice column when your boyfriend is..._

She shook her head. "Having fun, Weaselette?" Malfoy asked, a sneer on his face.

"These people are morons!" she said loudly—_too_ loudly, as McGonagall came over quickly.

"Is there something you need, Miss Weasley?"

"I'm not supposed to answer _all_ of these, am I, Professor?"

"Of course not!" Ginny's patience was running thin. "Do you know how long our newsletter would be if you addressed _every_ person who had something to ask? No, you must read through these and _choose_ which one you will be addressing. Professor Flitwick is working on writing a paragraph explaining the switch in writers. By the end of our meeting today, you should have one, maybe two, letters chosen." And with that she walked away.

"That's going to take forever," Ginny mumbled.

"Good luck, Weaselette."

"You set me up!" Ginny snapped.

"Did not!"

"Did so! You saw me and Astoria in the corridors the other day! You're the one that snitched to McGonagall and now I'm sitting here, having to read letters from the stupid gits that go to this school, all because you're some egotistical..."

BOOM.

"MR. LONGBOTTOM!" Professor McGonagall called over the noise.

"Sorry!" he called back. Apparently, the _Hogwarts Herald_ wasn't just in charge of reporting what was _in _the last and found—they were in charge of _the_ lost and found. And unfortunately, someone had lost cards from an Exploding Snap game. Quills and ink jars had been sent flying through the room, along with several pieces of parchment.

Ginny's face got sprayed with a reasonable sum of ink, and Malfoy laughed before a Quick Quotes Quill flew towards him and stuck itself in his forehead. Shrieking (in a way that Ginny had to practically stick her whole fist in her mouth to stop herself from laughing), he started to struggle with it. In the ensuing chaos, Ginny crept out the door, ran to the locker rooms, and changed for Quidditch. She ran out onto the field and took off.

Taking one look at her, Ron burst into laughter.

"Tutoring go well?" Harry asked, grinning.

"Why...?"

Harry pointed at her face.

Ginny put a hand to her face and it came away black. "Let's just say it was...an _eventful_ session."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about the length of this, I didn't want it to be too short but once I got going, it ended up becoming too long :c If you're still here, yay, please review. To be honest I'm not a big fan of this pairing (GinnyDraco), but I think I'm going to try it for this. I tried to get the writers' personalities and their column to match, but had a hard time with some of them, i.e., Ernie Macmillan. If you like this, please review. If you don't, well, review anyway and tell me how to make it better.**

**- Hatter of Madness**


	2. Giving Advice

**_Dear Readers of the_ Hogwarts Herald**_**:**  
>Unfortunately, our beloved advice columnist, Abigail, has had to retire. We will sorely miss Abigail (but don't you worry, she's alright!), but the need has arisen for us at the<em> Herald_ to hire a new advice columnist. Now, the name of the advice column is _Asking Alexandria, _and of course, our new writer is Alexandria. We wish her the best of luck!  
><em>Prof. Filius Flitwick

**_Dear Abigail,_**

_I'm having friend problems. There's this girl I met a while ago. I thought we were best friends. She told me that all the time! I felt that way for her too and cared a great deal. But I recently just realized that, all of that was just a lie. I am not her best friend anymore and she hurt me so much when I found out. I've never felt so hurt before, I wish she would realize that. It made me cry like all day. I don't feel like I need to be her friend anymore. Should I let her go? Should I tell her how I feel? What can I do to make me her best friend again? Please help me_

_Friendless Friar_

**_Alexandria says,_**

_Dear Friar,_

_Well, just to let you know, I'm not Abigail, like Professor Flitwick said. I'm the new advice columnist, Alexandria._

_Okay, we've said our hellos, now onto the advice. Obviously, this girl doesn't want to be your friend, so you should move on. I mean she's made it obvious that you're not best friends anymore. If you can't realize that she doesn't like you then you're thicker than the Hogwarts pudding. Maybe you should talk to someone who has more in common with you than just your gender and magical abilities. Try joining the Wizard Chess club (information about the games provided by our wonderful events reporter, Salazar, in his article,_ Get in the Pitch_ - advertisement provided by the_ Hogwarts Herald's_ Whizbee), or the Gobstone club (information provided by Skeeter in her article,_ Students' Sludge_ - following advertisement by Whizbee)._

_Or better yet, if you don't want to face having to put up with a backstabber, try getting yourself a cat. They're lovely. Now stop moping around, which I know you're doing, get your head out of the clouds, and man up, mate._

_**Sincerely, Alexandria**_

"There," Ginny said, letting the quill fall from her hand.

Malfoy looked over, in the middle of writing the Wizard Chess club article that Ginny had mentioned in her reply to Friendless Friar. "There is no way you're done yet!"

"Am so!" She thrust the parchment and Friendless Friar's letter at Malfoy, who read it quickly and busted up laughing. "Why are you laughing, you twit?" she snapped. "This is legitimate advice!"

"Do you _really _think calling Friendless Friar 'thick' is going to help her? Or telling her to get a cat and stop moping around? And why do you have_ advertisements_ in your advice?"

"How _else_ is Ernie supposed to do his job?" Ginny snapped. "Besides, I'm giving you publicity, so shut your trap."

Malfoy snickered. "Fine, if you're so sure you did an excellent job at writing this, go give it to Professor Snape. He's in charge of proofreading. And if he actually likes what you wrote..." he scoffed. "...then it'll get published, and everyone will laugh, and Friendless Friar will cry some more..."

"You're a twat!" Ginny said, then stood up, knocking her chair to the floor as she went. She marched up to Professor Snape, who was helping Rose Zeller write her article about the upcoming Gobstone club meeting. "In a minute, Weasley," he said, sounding bored. It looked as though he hated his life, being stuck in the office of a newsletter for mindless teenagers. When he finally finished, he looked at her with his beetle black eyes. "Yes?"

"I finished my article, sir."

He stared at her with an odd look in his eye. "How could you possibly be finished when our little...meeting started just a few minutes ago?"

"I'm a fast writer, sir," she said, holding out the two pieces of parchment. "I hope that everything's in order..."

He read it, his frown getting deeper and deeper as he read, then handed the parchment back to Ginny. "Do you honestly believe that this will get published in the _Hogwarts Herald,_ Weasley?"

"Well, I worked hard on it, sir..."

"Obviously you did not work hard enough. Either find a new letter or give Friendless Friar advice she can actually use. By the end of our session today I want something I can give to Professor McGonagall to print."

Ginny was ready to rip up both pieces of parchment in front of Snape, but instead walked back to her little desk next to Malfoy, who was watching her with a grin on his face. "Does the advice columnist need advice of her own?" he teased.

"Shove off, Malfoy," Ginny snapped.

"You know, I could help you with it," he said as a genuine offer.

"Nice try, Malfoy," she said, "but I'll do this _alone_."

She picked up a letter that she hadn't even read (she had honestly only read Friendless Friar's letter, desperate to leave early) and looked at it. It was addressed 'to Abigail', but the ink was smeared all over the envelope. She ripped it open, a bit curious as to its contents.

_Dear Abigail,_

The ink inside the letter was just as smeared as the ink on the envelope.

_I'm gay._

"Oh, my Merlin!" Ginny gasped. Malfoy looked up, annoyed.

"What, Weaselette?" he asked.

"Do these people...are they _insane?_" she said, staring at the letter. "Do they _really_ want this stuff printed where everyone can read it? Even if I was using a pseudonym, I wouldn't want people knowing this stuff about _me..._"

"What are you talking about Weaselette?" Malfoy said, annoyed.

"Don't call me that!" she snapped. "And I'm _talking_ about the letters I'm getting for my column. This kid...they just wrote me and the opening line is, 'Dear Abigail, I'm gay'. I mean, would _you _want that printed in a newsletter, even with the security of a fake name?"

"You're taking this way too seriously, Weasele—Weasley," Malfoy said. "Besides, I think that if they're writing to an advice columnist, they genuinely need the advice, wouldn't you?" Malfoy was..._sympathetic?_

She shoved the thought out of her mind, then continued to read the letter.

_Dear Abigail,_

_I'm gay. I'm deeply in love with a bloke, and even though they're the same way that I am, if you get my drift, I'm too afraid to come out to them. I'm afraid that if they know how I feel about them, they won't want to be my friend anymore, because we're very good friends. I wouldn't want to risk this friendship. What should I do?_

_Bent Beater_

"Oh...my...Merlin," Ginny said quietly.

"Do you need my help _now?_" Malfoy said.

"Shove off!" she said again, picking up her quill, dipping it in ink, then starting to write.

_**Alexandria says,**  
><em>

_Dear Beater,_

_Just to let you know, though I'm sure you've realized it from Professor Flitwick's introduction, that unfortunately, Abigail has had to retire from the advice column business, which is a real pity. Now, all of your letters are going to Alexandria._

_Anyway, I'm sorry about your predicament. It sounds like you're in a bit of a jam there. Unfortunately, I'm pretty straight, so I don't know how this feels. I would suggest maybe just telling your friend about your attraction to blokes before you come out and say that you fancy him. If he can accept your orientation, then maybe he'll be able to accept the fact that you do fancy someone—that someone being him, of course._

_I wish you the best of luck._

**_Sincerely, Alexandria_**

Writing the reply to Bent Beater took the rest of the session, and by the time she was done, only Luna, Neville, Malfoy, and herself were still in the room with the professors. She looked at her watch.

"Oh, blimey!" she said, as Malfoy returned from his secondary job of sorting mail. "I'm late!" She jumped up, gathering her stuff together.

"Slow down, Weasley," he said, as she hadn't put her ink jar away properly, "you're about to have a bit of a _spill,_ if you know what I mean..."

"Sod off!" She corked it impatiently then shoved it in her bag. "I have a date that I'm very, _very _late for!"

"Oh, meeting Potter, are we?" Malfoy teased, he too walking towards the exit.

"Shut _up!_" she snapped. "I can't believe that thanks to you and McGonagall, I had to spend an hour of my day breathing your air! You disgust me, Draco Malfoy! You are an insufferable, hotheaded, egotistical..."

"_Ginny? Malfoy?_"

Ginny's head whipped up at the familiarity of the voice. Before her was Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who appeared to be going in the direction of the Great Hall. "We were wondering where you had gotten off to," Ron said, "we thought you might be having dinner... What are you doing with Malfoy?"

"I, uh...tutoring."

"How are _you _tutoring _Malfoy?_" Harry asked. "He's a year above you."

"Uh..." She was going to be caught for sure.

"Didn't you tell them, Weasley?" Malfoy said.

"No," she said. _Duh, Malfoy, _she thought, _I don't want it getting out that I'm writing for the bloody newsletter, you toss pot._

"Well, I'm going to guess that Weaselette told you lot that she had to tutor someone, didn't she? Well, she's lying. _She_ was the one who needed tutoring, not the other way around. McGonagall asked me because I did so well in her class last year."

Ginny was about to punch him, then realization hit her. _Malfoy is...helping me?_

"Er, yeah," she said, trying her best to sound embarrassed. "I just failed a test in McGonagall's class, because I was so swamped with Quidditch and everything that I forgot to study, so she set up Malfoy to help me."

"Not _my _first choice," Ron said. Hermione jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

"Yeah, well, I don't like it either, Weasel," Malfoy said, glaring at Ron, "but even I know better than trying to say 'no' to McGonagall. Now run along, you three. I have to discuss our tutoring session with Weaselette." Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked off without another word.

When they were out of earshot, Malfoy said, "You owe me, Weaselette. Big time."

"Not a chance!" Ginny snapped.

"I covered for you, didn't I? You think I like telling your _friends _that I have to spend time with you because of batty old McGonagall? You think that was something that I like doing?"

"One, she is not batty! Two, _you_ don't seem to have any ill feelings about lying!"

"You. Owe. Me."

And with that, he walked away.

Realization suddenly hit that she didn't turn in her article to Snape before she left. "Bugger!" she hissed, turning around. But the door to the Room of Requirement was gone. McGonagall was going to kill her and stick her head on display in the trophy case if her article didn't get printed.

She started to shuffle past, thinking _I need the _Hogwarts Herald_ room now, I need it, I need it, I need..._

The door materialized. She threw it open, ran in, and almost collided with Luna. "Luna!" she gasped. "Sorry, I need to..."

"Turn in your article?" Luna guessed in her dreamy voice. "I saw it sitting on your desk and gave it to Professor Snape for you. He agreed to print it but wanted me to remind you to be a bit more careful."

"Oh," Ginny said, her face turning a similar color as her hair. "Thanks, Luna."

She smiled in reply then said, "I'm going to dinner now. I hope there's pudding." She skipped off as Neville came over, bandages on his fingers. Somehow, someone had lost a small Venus flytrap that was not shy about biting anything that got too close to it. It had almost bitten the lens off of Colin's camera when he took the picture for Neville. "Hi, Ginny!" he greeted. "Going to dinner?"

She nodded. "I'll walk with you," she offered.

They walked in silence for a bit, then Neville said, "Hey...Ginny..."

"What's up?"

"Er, well...this is an awkward question, really...but how opposed would you be with giving advice to a fellow _Herald _writer?"

"Does Scamander need to have a word with Alexandria?" she asked as two people walked by. She was not about to give up her confidentiality for writing in the _Herald_ just for this. He nodded. "Well, you don't have to write me to ask for advice. What do you need?"

"I want to ask..." He stopped. "It's silly..."

"Neville, tell me."

He sighed. "I want to ask Luna to go to Hogsmeade with me, but I don't know how."

"Oh, well, that's easy," Ginny said. "Just say, 'Hey, Luna. You. Me. Saturday. Hogsmeade. Meet you in the Three Broomsticks' or something like that. Really, just be front with her, she's really easy to talk to."

"Thanks, Ginny," he said, the color returning to his cheeks as they entered the Great Hall.

Ginny took a seat next to Azalee. She had had a _long, _stressful day... And she was looking forward to her date with Harry following dinner. She was not going to let the whole 'tutoring Malfoy' thing mess anything up. And she was _definitely _not letting her spot writing for the _Hogwarts Herald_ get out, either.

* * *

><p><strong>This one is shorter than yesterday, but you'll see why that's essential in the next chapter. Please review. It would also majorly help me if you would leave, in a review, a letter to <em>Asking Alexandria<em> because I have a hard time coming up with letters. Thank you. :D**

**- Hatter of Madness**


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